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Bennie Wallace
Bennie Wallace
American musician
1
Michel Camilo
Michel Camilo
Dominican Grammy-award winning pianist and composer (born 1954)
2
Billy Strayhorn
Billy Strayhorn
American musician, composer, lyricist and arranger
3
Dave Holland
Dave Holland
British musician
4
Gary Husband
Gary Husband
British musician
5
Mike Stern
Mike Stern
American jazz guitarist
6
Jimmy Chamberlin
Jimmy Chamberlin
Drummer, songwriter, Producer
7
Jack Bruce
Jack Bruce
Scottish musician, bassist of Cream
8
Lee Morgan
Lee Morgan
American trumpeter
9
Billy Eckstine
Billy Eckstine
American musician
10
John Scofield
John Scofield
American jazz guitarist and composer
11
David Sancious
David Sancious
American musician
12
Simon Phillips
Simon Phillips
English drummer (born 1957)
13
Buster Williams
Buster Williams
American musician
14
Tommy Bolin
Tommy Bolin
American guitarist
15
Jean-Luc Ponty
Jean-Luc Ponty
French musician
16
Jimmy Owens
Jimmy Owens
jazz trumpeter, composer, arranger, lecturer, and educator
17
Mulgrew Miller
Mulgrew Miller
American pianist
18
Billy Cobham
Billy Cobham
American jazz drummer
19
Billy Preston
Billy Preston
American musician whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel (1946-2006)
20
Mike Garson
Mike Garson
American musician
21
Eddie Henderson
Eddie Henderson
American musician
22
Antonio Sánchez
Antonio Sánchez
Mexican jazz drummer, composer
23
Ray Brown
Ray Brown
American jazz double bassist and cellist
24
Anthony Green
Anthony Green
musician from Doylestown, Pennsylvania
25
Billy Paul
Billy Paul
American singer
26
Weather Report
Weather Report
American jazz fusion band of the 1970s and early 1980s
27
Van Halen
Van Halen
American heavy metal band
28
Randy Brecker
Randy Brecker
American flugelhorn and trumpet player (1945-)
29
Matt Sorum
Matt Sorum
Rock drummer, percussionist, most notably with Guns N' Roses
30
Flea
Flea
American-Australian bassist
31
Joey DeFrancesco
Joey DeFrancesco
American jazz musician
32
Chick Corea
Chick Corea
American jazz and fusion pianist, keyboardist, and composer
33
Miles Davis
Miles Davis
American jazz musician (1926-1991)
34
John McLaughlin
John McLaughlin
English guitarist, bandleader, and composer; founder of the Mahavishnu Orchestra
35
Boney James
Boney James
American recording artist; saxophonist, songwriter, and record producer
36
Charlie Watts
Charlie Watts
British drummer of The Rolling Stones
37
Ray Brown, Jr.
Ray Brown, Jr.
American musician
38
Tony Kaye
Tony Kaye
English rock musician
39
Saosin
Saosin
American rock band
40
Ray Bryant
Ray Bryant
American pianist
41
Alvin Lee
Alvin Lee
British guitarist, singer, songwriter
42
Jaco Pastorius
Jaco Pastorius
American jazz bassist, producer, educator
43
Level 42
Level 42
English jazz-funk band
44
Mick Taylor
Mick Taylor
British rock musician, former member of The Rolling Stones
45
Ian Wallace
Ian Wallace
English drummer
46
Kings of Rhythm
Kings of Rhythm
American musical group; R&B/Soul band led by Ike Turner
47
Soulive
Soulive
48
Billy Idol
Billy Idol
English musician, singer, songwriter, and actor who holds dual British and American citizenship (born 1955)
49
Billy Squier
Billy Squier
American rock musician
50
Mel Brown
Mel Brown
American jazz drummer
51
Charlie Barnet
Charlie Barnet
American saxophonist, composer, bandleader
52
T Lavitz
T Lavitz
American musician
53
Billy Joel
Billy Joel
American singer-songwriter and pianist
54
Patrick Moraz
Patrick Moraz
Swiss musician
55
Dokken
Dokken
American heavy metal band
56
Art Farmer
Art Farmer
American jazz trumpeter
57
Alphonso Johnson
Alphonso Johnson
American musician
58
Eric Dolphy
Eric Dolphy
American jazz musician
59
Jack Irons
Jack Irons
musician, songwriter
60
Lonnie Donegan
Lonnie Donegan
Scottish-born skiffle musician
61
J. J. Johnson
J. J. Johnson
American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger (1924-2001)
62
Charles Lloyd
Charles Lloyd
American jazz musician
63
White Heart
White Heart
Contemporary Christian Music pop-rock band
64
Gerry Mulligan
Gerry Mulligan
American jazz baritone saxophonist, arranger and composer
65
Return to Forever
Return to Forever
American jazz fusion group led by Chick Corea
66
Junior Mance
Junior Mance
American musician
67
Max Roach
Max Roach
American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer
68
Harold Mabern
Harold Mabern
American pianist
69
Eric Burdon
Eric Burdon
English singer-songwriter
70
Count Basie
Count Basie
American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer (1904-1984)
71
Billy Fury
Billy Fury
English musician (1940-1983)
72
Maceo Parker
Maceo Parker
American saxophonist and composer
73
Art Blakey
Art Blakey
American jazz drummer and bandleader
Billy Usselton
American musician

Billy Usselton

Intro
American musician
Music

Billy Usselton (July 2, 1926 in New Castle, Pennsylvania – September 5, 1994) was an American jazz reed player.

Usselton was proficient on tenor saxophone, clarinet, and oboe. He began playing professionally in high school with Bubbles Becker. Although his parents wanted him to attend college in Pennsylvania, he wanted to play for a living. He then played with Sonny Dunham in the 1940s before joining Ray Anthony in 1948-49 and again in 1951-52. In the interim, he joined Tommy Dorsey's band and recommended Mel Lewis after Buddy Rich was fired. After his second stint with Anthony, he played with Bill Harris in Florida.

In 1954 Usselton joined Les Brown's band, and played with him for decades. Usselton plays on nearly all of Brown's records released on Coral Records and Capitol Records, and toured with him worldwide as part of Bob Hope's U.S.O. Tours. He married Lauri Johnson, a vocalist in Brown's ensemble, in 1958. Billy and family lived in Chicago in the 1960s where he gigged and was a jazz clinician for the Conn Corporation. The Usselton family moved to Phoenix in 1977.

Usselton's only album as a leader was the 1957 release His First Album, issued on Kapp Records.